Simple Spaghetti with tomato sauce
I like simple things. I even like the word. It is in and of itself simple. Two syllables easily rolling off your tongue and landing into an ear of one who immediately sighs relief. Simple is comforting, reassuring, and hard to achieve.
Naturally I am not a simple person. I’m complex; full of nooks and crannies of insecurity, doubt, anxiety and a propensity to lean towards a half empty glass. Perhaps that is exactly the reason why I love the idea of simplicity as it is what I often strive for.
It’s the simple things that deliver great joy throughout the day. An unsolicited hug and kiss from my two year old. A never-ending smile from my girl and hearing my oldest say, “I have a great idea”, with a unique and completely wonderful project idea that only a nearly 5 year old boy could conjure up (Does anyone know how to make a Guminator? – It’s basically a canon that shoots gum onto the side of a pool, not in the grass, just on the side. Don’t ask me).
Right now Gabe is reading, Roman is sitting next to him while Baron is enthusiastically playing Lego StarWars. It’s simple, comfortable and completely perfect.
For dinner we’ll have simple spaghetti. So easy even the inventor of the Guminator could make it – with a little help from daddy.
Canned tomatoes, crushed whole cloves of garlic, a whisper of sugar, and the bright bite of fresh basil. Tossed with spaghetti and served. I prefer a light dusting of Parmesan but it’s not needed.
This meal is simplicity at its best. Using the best quality ingredients you can find, as there are only 5, will make this simple dish memorable.
Spaghetti with tomato sauce
This recipe is from The Silver Spoon for Children: Favorite Italian Recipes
Makes enough for 4 people
(we doubled it and enjoyed the little bit that was leftover for lunch)
1 14 ounce can of chopped tomatoes (I like San Marzano tomatoes)
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
2 garlic cloves
14 ounces spaghetti
10 fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
In a medium sauce pan add the tomatoes and sugar. With a rolling pin (or the back of a chef’s knife if an adult is doing the cooking) smash the garlic, then peel and add to the tomatoes. Bring the pan to a gentle simmer, cover then cook on low for 40 minutes.
Cook the spaghetti in salted water (make it taste like the ocean) till al dente – you want it to maintain a very soft bite.
Take the sauce off of the heat and tear the basil leaves into small pieces adding them to the sauce. Finish with olive oil.
Toss the cooked noodles with the tomato sauce and serve with a pretty piece of fresh basil.
*This book was sent to me, but the opinion expressed here is my own, really I love this book.
